Feds:Using Liberty Dollars is a crime.

The Federal government has warned consumers and Buisnesses that it's a crime to use the Liberty Dollars that have made their way into circulation but aren't legal tender. the silver coins are made by the National Organization for the Repeal of the Federal Reserve Act and the internal Revenue Code (or NOREED)based in Evansville,Ind. They've been making the Liberty Dollar coins for about eight years and claim that about $20 million of them are now in circulation nationwide.

NOREED says the dollars,produced in varying denominations ,can be used as money because they're backed by stocks of silver and gold in a vault in Idaho. It boasts around 2,500 members,who freely admit to spending the Liberty Dollars in stores-illegally.They are usually accepted by clerks because they look so much like real money.But they can't be exchanged for real money at a bank,and only the Mint can legally produce coins. the dollar coins may however be collected.